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| 03 Feb 2014 05:01 PM |
There's this wiki (RationalWiki) that is primarily concerned with atheists and why Christians are stupid, etc. Here's the introduction to their article on Objectivism.
"Objectivism is a "philosophy" formulated by novelist Ayn Rand. It has various tenets, but is best known for defining self-interest as a moral virtue. As one might imagine, Objectivism is very popular amongst those who hold a me-first view of the world. It lets them say, "Hey, I'm not being a selfish jerk, I'm following a philosophy!"
Objectivism has not met wide acceptance in academia. When they bother to comment on it at all, academic philosophers usually dismiss it as a rather juvenile imitation of a real philosophy.[2] It is nevertheless very popular, and informs the beliefs of a great many libertarians and assorted whakkjobs. Although it shares some beliefs with conservatism, it has not had much influence on that branch of politics due to its radical, anti-traditional, atheist nature; see, for example, Whittaker Chambers's criticisms of Atlas Shrugged.[3] It was called Objectivism because, as Rand was the single smartest person in the history of the world, anything she said had to be objective.[4]
Objectivism has some life outside Rand's shadow. While its largest faction is represented by the Ayn Rand Institute, led by Rand's pet chihuahua intellectual heir Leonard Peikoff, an "open" faction exists outside Rand's circle, led by David Kelley and his group, The Atlas Society. The debate over how much of Objectivism is dependent on Rand's writings and how far it can go beyond that is a fierce one that has engendered numerous purges and bitter catfights over the years. Although it may not be striking, there is a difference between what people consider the philosophy of Objectivism to be today and Ayn Rand's personal life four decades ago. No greater example of this can be seen than in the fighting between the Ayn Rand Institute and the Atlas Society.[5] "
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As you can see, RationalWiki tries to present a balanced, rational, and logical view of Ayn Rand's philosophy. It is not at all arguing against a strawman of Objectivism. (sarcasm, obviously.)
But it did raise an interesting question. How seriously is Objectivism taken in the conservative movement and in the world of academia? I'm not quite sure. I know Ted Cruz is somewhat of an Objectivist; perhaps Ron and Rand Paul, but that's all as far as I know. |
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Zkiller11
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| Joined: 25 Aug 2009 |
| Total Posts: 2914 |
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| 03 Feb 2014 05:06 PM |
| Awwww, did you get banned? |
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JamesGalt
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| Joined: 01 Sep 2007 |
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| 03 Feb 2014 05:12 PM |
| You are now an official genuine RGer. Get banned atleast once |
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